What is the difference between Arizona State and UC Davis acceptance rates?

UC Davis is substantially more selective than Arizona State, so in simple terms it is harder to get into. Arizona State is known for having a much higher admit rate and a broader access mission, while UC Davis gets a more competitive applicant pool within the University of California system. If you are using acceptance rate as a quick gauge, ASU is the less selective option and UC Davis is the more competitive one.

Part of that difference comes from how the schools are structured. ASU is a very large public university that enrolls students across multiple campuses and pathways, which supports a wider range of admissible applicants. UC Davis is also large, but its admissions process is more constrained and more selective, especially because it attracts many applicants aiming for a UC campus with strong academics and research.

The application review process also feels different in practice. UC Davis uses a more competitive holistic review, and even strong students can find it less certain because more applicants are clustered at a high academic level.

For building a college list, it makes sense to treat Arizona State as closer to a likely or target for many qualified applicants, while UC Davis is more often a target or reach depending on grades, course rigor, and residency. So even if websites show slightly different figures, the big-picture takeaway is consistent: ASU admits a far larger share of applicants than UC Davis, and that gap reflects a real difference in admissions competitiveness.